Memory Management Tutorial

This tutorial will teach you how to effectively use and manage OpenClaw's persistent memory system. You'll learn about daily notes, memory files, Obsidian integration, and how to maintain context across conversations. Estimated time: 20-25 minutes.

By the end of this tutorial, you'll understand:

• How memory works - File-based memory storage system
• Daily notes - Automatic memory file creation
• Memory access - How OpenClaw uses memories in conversations
• Obsidian integration - Connect memory files to Obsidian
• Memory management - Edit, search, and organize memories

Before starting:

• OpenClaw installed and running - Complete Getting Started Tutorial
• Workspace created - OpenClaw workspace at ~/clawd (or your custom location)
• Text editor - For viewing and editing memory files
• Obsidian installed (optional) - For advanced memory management

OpenClaw stores memories as Markdown files in your workspace:

• Location: ~/clawd (default) or your configured workspace
• Format: Markdown files (readable and editable)
• Daily Notes: Automatically created each day as YYYY-MM-DD.md
• Session Files: Stored in ~/clawd/sessions/

View your workspace directory:

ls ~/clawd
# or
open ~/clawd

Daily notes are automatically created each day. Let's view today's note:

cat ~/clawd/$(date +%Y-%m-%d).md
# or open in your editor
open ~/clawd/$(date +%Y-%m-%d).md

Daily Note Format

Daily notes contain:

• Conversation summaries
• Important information extracted from chats
• User preferences and context
• Key events and reminders

Example daily note structure:

# 2026-01-31

## Conversations
- Discussed project setup with user
- Helped configure voice features
- Answered questions about browser automation

## Important Information
- User prefers dark mode interfaces
- Workspace location: ~/projects/openclaw
- User's name: John
- Preferred coding language: Python

## Preferences
- Notification frequency: Important only
- Email integration: Gmail

You can directly edit memory files to correct or add information:

Edit a Memory File

1. Open the memory file in your text editor
2. Make corrections or additions
3. Save the file
4. OpenClaw will use the updated information

Example: Correct your name if OpenClaw remembered it incorrectly:

# Open the file
nano ~/clawd/2026-01-31.md

# Find and correct:
# Change: User's name: John
# To: User's name: Jane

Search Memories

Search across all memory files:

# Search for a topic
grep -r "project" ~/clawd/*.md

# Search with context
grep -r -A 2 -B 2 "email" ~/clawd/*.md

Obsidian is a powerful knowledge management tool that works perfectly with OpenClaw's memory files:

Set Up Obsidian Vault

1. Install Obsidian
2. Create a new vault or open existing one
3. Set the vault location to your OpenClaw workspace: ~/clawd
4. Or create a symlink: ln -s ~/clawd ~/obsidian-vaults/openclaw-memories

Benefits of Obsidian Integration

• Powerful Search: Full-text search across all memories
• Graph View: Visualize connections between memories
• Plugins: Use Obsidian plugins for enhanced functionality
• Backlinks: See where memories are referenced
• Tags: Organize memories with tags

Using Obsidian with OpenClaw

Once set up:

• Daily notes appear automatically in Obsidian
• Search memories using Obsidian's search
• Create notes that OpenClaw can reference
• Build a knowledge graph of your interactions

You can influence how OpenClaw uses memories:

Ask OpenClaw to Remember

Explicitly tell OpenClaw to remember something:

• "Remember that I prefer Python over JavaScript"
• "Save this information for future reference"
• "Add this to my preferences"

Review and Clean Up

Periodically review your memories:

• Check daily notes for accuracy
• Remove outdated information
• Consolidate duplicate entries
• Organize with tags or folders

Memory Context

OpenClaw automatically loads relevant memories based on:

• Current conversation topic
• Recent interactions
• User preferences
• Context clues

You can ask OpenClaw: "What do you remember about me?" to see what context is loaded.

Memory Templates

Create templates for recurring information:

# User Profile
## Preferences
- Theme: Dark
- Language: English
- Timezone: PST

## Projects
- Project 1: Description
- Project 2: Description

Version Control

Track memory changes with Git:

cd ~/clawd
git init
git add *.md
git commit -m "Initial memory files"
# Add to .gitignore if needed for sensitive info

Backup Memories

Regularly backup your memories:

• Use cloud sync (Dropbox, iCloud, etc.)
• Create automated backups
• Export to external storage
• Use version control for history

Memories Not Loading

• Check workspace path in configuration
• Verify memory files exist
• Check file permissions
• Review Gateway logs: openclaw gateway logs

Incorrect Information

• Edit memory files directly
• Tell OpenClaw to update: "Update your memory about X"
• Delete incorrect entries
• Verify after corrections

Memory Files Growing Too Large

• Archive old daily notes
• Move to archive folder
• Keep recent notes accessible
• Use compression for archived files

Now that you understand memory management, explore these related topics: